-Frazier Leon Thompson, from Philadelphia, who earned a bachelor's degree in preprofessional studies and was Notre Dame's first black varsity athlete.

A third black student Â? the Rev. Edward Burrell Williams, of South Bend Â? earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in August 1947.

All three men are now dead, but historical records provide some details about their lives and time on campus.

History maker

The enrollment of the first black men at Notre Dame was a "precedent-shattering event," Baltimore Afro-American magazine reported at the time.

Of his status as the first black student, Thompson recalled in a 1990 interview for the black alumni newsletter: "I wasn't trying

to prove anything. I just wanted to be me. I just wanted an education. I wasn't trying to prove a point."

During World War II, Notre Dame offered the U.S. Navy a place to train servicemen. Thousands of military recruits lived in campus dormitories, attended university classes and trained for military service between 1942 and 1946, many of them completing training and leaving for the war.

Thompson arrived in July 1944 as part of the Navy's V-12 officer training program.

When the war ended in 1945, Thompson remained at the university on a track scholarship, making him Notre Dame's first black varsity athlete. He was a sprinter, earning varsity letters in 1945 and 1946.

After graduating, Thompson worked at the U.S. Postal Service and later as a test engineer on space suits used in the U.S. space program. He died in September 1991 at age 65 in Dover, Del.

There is a Notre Dame scholarship in Thompson's name. His memory was honored last fall at a home football game when his son, Paul Thompson, joined in presenting the flag on the field before the game.

Coggins arrived on campus in February 1945 as part of the campus ROTC program. He's visible among third-classmen entering ROTC members, neatly lined up in dress uniforms, in a group photo in a 1945 ROTC yearbook.

Coggins stayed until July 1946, when he was drafted into U.S. Navy service.

Frazier and Coggins each received bachelor's degrees on June 1, 1947, according to records at the alumni association and the university archives.

Coggins returned to Notre Dame after the war, and in 1952 earned a second bachelor's degree, in civil engineering. He may have been the first black graduate to earn two Notre Dame degrees.

It's not clear how Coggins earned the credits to complete his first bachelor's degree during just 17 months on campus before being drafted. Academic programs were accelerated during the war years to move men into the military, and some archival records indicate Coggins may have attended another college before Notre Dame.

Little is known about Coggins' life after Notre Dame. U.S. government records indicate he died April 22, 1984.

Thompson arrived in South Bend in 1943 as pastor of Olivet AME Church on West Monroe Street. He was a middle-aged minister with two college degrees when he enrolled in November 1944, studying journalism with a goal of becoming an editor for an AME church publication.

Shortly after earning his Notre Dame degree in August 1947, Thompson transferred to a pastorship in Milwaukee. He is believed to have died in Philadelphia, although university records do not indicate the date of his death.

Melvin Tardy, 44, is a black graduate who has worked on campus for nearly 20 years, currently as an academic adviser for first-year students. He's long been active in the Black Alumni of Notre Dame group.

Tardy said it's important for people today to know about the experiences and challenges that faced early black students, because knowing that history can help Notre Dame better serve minority students and make them feel part of the university family.

Except for a few of his cousins, Tardy said, he didn't meet any black alumni until he earned his bachelor's degree in 1986. When he did meet successful black graduates, he thought to himself: "Where have you been?"

He still enjoys meeting older black graduates, hearing what life was like for them during their student days, and who helped them feel welcome and achieve their goals.

"Who were the people who helped them get through?" Tardy said. "Those people were heroes."

Do you know more?

Do you know more about the lives of Notre Dame graduates Carl Coggins, Frazier Thompson and the Rev. Edward B. Williams? If so, please e-mail: mfosmoe@sbtinfo.com or call (574) 235-6329.